When we talk about trauma, we likely picture big, dramatic events—things like car accidents, natural disasters, or violent attacks. Trauma, however, takes many different forms and sizes; not all of it is as clear-cut as you would believe. Particularly in childhood, some of the most impactful trauma occurs silently over time. It’s known as childhood complex trauma. In this essay, we will discuss what that entails and how it varies from other forms of trauma.
Let’s Start with Trauma Basics
Trauma is fundamentally any event that overwhelms us physically or emotionally and leaves us feeling powerless, afraid, or unsafe. Trauma impacts your whole body, how you view the world, and even your relationships to other people. This is on top of how it messes with your head.
Trauma comes in many forms, hence understanding them can help us make sense of complex trauma. Like an accident or a sudden death, acute trauma arises from a single occurrence. Then there’s chronic trauma. This results from repeated stress, like in an abusive relationship or living in a high-crime neighborhood.
What Then is Childhood Complex Trauma?
Particularly in relationships meant to be safe, such as those involving parents or caregivers, childhood complex trauma results from continuous exposure to stressful or harmful situations. It’s dubbed “complex” as it’s about ongoing, repeated experiences that mold a child’s development—both physically and emotionally—rather than just one thing.
Complex trauma is unlike a one-time trauma-causing incident like breaking your limb or getting into a fight. It results from prolonged exposure to stress. And since it occurs when the brain and body are still developing, these types of experiences in childhood can have an even more profound impact.
Typical Origin of Childhood Complex Trauma
Let’s discuss the sources of this form of trauma. Adverse Childhood Experiences (or ACEs) provides one framework that helps to clarify this. ACEs include things like growing up in a violent family, living with a parent with a mental health illness or substance use issue, or being neglected or abused.
The fact that complex trauma is not always visible adds to the difficulty of understanding it. Overt trauma—which is observable, like physical abuse—and covert trauma—which is more subtle, like emotional neglect—have different sources. Both can be quite destructive, but since covert trauma is more difficult to detect, it usually goes unnoticed.
How Does Childhood Complex Trauma Affect Development?
Trauma experienced in childhood can disrupt the development of both the body and brain. Consider a child as a young tree striving to flourish. The tree becomes less robust or straight when the surroundings are hostile, like trying to grow in poor soil or a storm that never seems to stop. When a youngster experiences complex trauma, this is essentially what results.
Childhood trauma can make it more difficult for someone to regulate their emotions (consider emotional outbursts or shutdown), handle stress, or even feel safe in relationships. These difficulties can, over time, come to shape a person’s sense of self and how they connect with others.
Am I Affected by Childhood Complex Trauma?
Recognizing the consequences of childhood complex trauma is not always simple, particularly since some of the symptoms may manifest years later in adulthood. These few indicators might suggest unresolved trauma from childhood:
- You can feel depressed, anxious, or as though you are continually on edge.
- You struggle with trust; either you keep everyone at a distance or you get too close to them too fast.
- Little things like a specific tone of voice, or an unexpected touch can cause a strong emotional reaction.
- You might have physical issues like headaches, stomach problems, or fatigue that seem to come out of nowhere.
These are only a handful of examples; if any of these ring true for you, it would be worth looking into whether early trauma fits your narrative.
Why Understanding Childhood Complex Trauma Matters
Awareness is the first stage in recovering from childhood complex trauma. It can be a game-changer to realize that these early experiences have shaped you in ways that still show up now. It enables the focus to shift from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What happened to me?”
Ignoring childhood trauma could also cause long-term problems, problems affecting not only your mental and emotional health, but also your physical well-being. The good news however, is that understanding childhood complex trauma will empower you to begin healing. You don’t have to stay stuck in old patterns or let those past experiences define you.
Wrapping Up
Many people, although without knowing it, have gone through childhood complex trauma. Though trauma can affect your brain, body, and relationships in ways that last long into adulthood, realizing this is the first step toward recovery.
Should any of these resonate for you, I encourage you to take that next step. This could mean reaching out to a professional, or beginning to delve further into your past. Or, if you’ve already begun the journey, just treating yourself compassionately while you process what you’ve experienced. There’s no hurry; each step you take counts.
Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for additional pieces in this series where we’ll continue to examine childhood complex trauma and some strategies for healing.